The opening ceremonies for the 35th annual Winter Festival of Lights were soggy and muddy on Saturday, though it didn’t stop the pyrotechnics from firing or the crowd from coming out to see this year’s eight-kilometre illuminated route lit up. It did, however, end the fireworks soon after they began.

The eight-kilometre route, composed of more than two million lights, will go along the Niagara Parkway and pass the Falls into Dufferin Islands and the surrounding districts of Fallsview Blvd., Victoria Centre, Clifton Hill and Lundy’s Lane.

Exhibits this year include a signature fixture on Lundy’s lane, a new five-metre tall display called "The Niagara" on Drummond Hill, and an interactive art exhibit called Prismatica at the Scotiabank Convention Centre.

Rick Mercer was also in the city for the ceremony, filming a segment for the Rick Mercer Report, which airs Tuesdays on CBC.